The present invention relates to pesticide compositions and methods for treating plants and agricultural products.
Agricultural crops dependent on the growth and maintenance of plants are subject to a variety of agricultural pests which can destroy and/or reduce crop yields. Damage to plants can result from microorganisms such as fungi or from more vigorous plants better able to compete for space and nutrients.
Fungus can often attack and destroy crops and, if not kill them, can induce distress in the crops so that they succumb to other diseases and/or significantly lower crop yield. Furthermore, agricultural products can be particularly susceptible to damage by fungus after the products are harvested. Many of the products are stored for extended periods of time before they reach the consumer or are used by the consumer. The fungus can make the harvested agricultural products inedible or otherwise unusable. This can be particularly problematic since a significant amount of effort and money has gone into producing and harvesting the agricultural products; all of this can be lost before the products reach the consumer.
Consequently, it is not surprising that there are many fungicide compositions currently on the market. However, there is a growing concern that some of these compositions, one or more of their components, and/or metabolites eventually find their way into the food sources for animals, including humans. Unfortunately, many fungicides and/or their byproducts are moderately and even extremely toxic. Further, some fungicides are suspected or known carcinogens. Despite this fact, many fungicides continue to be used and are needed to protect cash crops. It is important to note that some fungi are themselves extremely toxic or produce toxic components. For example, aflatoxins belong to a class of fungal metabolites and are known to occur naturally in many products including peanuts, cottonseed, corn, peppers, etc. Many aflatoxins are extremely toxic and some are listed as known carcinogens. Consequently, fungicides are needed to protect and preserve agricultural products and ensure the public's health.
Similarly, more vigorous wild plants generally referred to as weeds, can compete with a crop plant, reduce its vigor, reduce yields and in many instances kill crop plants. Selective herbicides can be used to kill unwanted plants growing about a crop plant without damaging crop plants. Non-selective herbicides are typically used to control weeds and unwanted plants prior to planting a crop and in non-agricultural settings. As used herein, herbicidal refers to materials which destroy or inhibit plant growth, whereas harvest aids desiccate or defoliate non-harvestable portions of crop plants such as potato, dry bean and cotton.
Glyphosate and paraquat are the number 1 and 2 non-selective herbicides used worldwide. Paraquat is extremely toxic and therefore unacceptable for many applications. Glyphosate can be slow acting, commonly requiring 1 to 2 weeks to achieve plant death and therefore can be unsuitable for many herbicide applications.
Other conventionally known herbicides include Scythe (Dow AgroScience), containing pelargonic acid, a nine carbon fatty acid and Liberty made by AgrEvo. Pelargonic acid is the active ingredient in SCYTHE and glufosinate-ammonium is the active ingredient in LIBERTY. However, the activity of these products is such that the cost of products such as SCYTHE can be undesirably high and the amount of active ingredients needed in products such as paraquat could lead to undesirable effects.
Consequently, with increased demand and necessity for agricultural products to feed and clothe the world population, and with the risks associated with eating and using diseased products, there is an increased need in the field for advancements in new pesticides. These advancements include improved methods and compositions for treating plants, particularly cash crops and products derived from the plants and for controlling the unwanted growth of non-crop plants. The present invention is such an advancement and provides a wide variety of benefits and advantages.